Our new Indie Games subforum is now open for business in G&T. Go and check it out, you might land a code for a free game. If you're developing an indie game and want to post about it, follow these directions. If you don't, he'll break your legs! Hahaha! Seriously though.

Our rules have been updated and given their own forum. Go and look at them! They are nice, and there may be new ones that you didn't know about! Hooray for rules! Hooray for The System! Hooray for Conforming!

Tell Me About Tablets

This is a gadget I am interested in. I'm basically looking for something that can be a couch/laying in bed PC. Here's some things I would like to do:

General internet browsing.
Youtube/videos. Easiest way to show friends videos, or watch them on the couch instead of my desk.
Hold/play my music collection.
Read comics.
Pull up gamefaqs or other walkthroughs away from my PC, in my living room.
Run gmail chat.

I don't need 3G/4G (don't some of them have that?), this would be strictly for around the house use. I have my phone if I need to get on the web while I'm out and about.

I guess they have games? Are games on tablets any good? Can't say the idea appeals to me since I have PC/xbox/DS/etc. to play on, but I don't know a lot about it. I did play some Need for Speed game on a demo unit in Office Max the other day, it was kind of cool.

I haven't really looked through them yet, but I do notice the price range varies pretty widely. Some are in the high $100s, and ipads/xoom/etc are ~$500 What does paying more money get me? What specs do I need to look at?

Posts

Most mid-range tablets would do what you need. Your major choice is whether you go with an iOS tablet (iPad) or an Android tablet (Motorola Xoom, Asus Transformer, Samsung Galaxy 10.1, etc). There is more software available on iOS (including games), since its been out longer. You get more hardware choices with Android (larger/smaller/hardware keyboards/etc).

Just fyi, anything under ~$400ish is gonna be trash. Those are largely budget knockoffs running old OSs, poor specs, and often resistive touch screens.

I've got an iPad 1 and it is pretty goddamn amazing. I don't have much to say other than that. The iOS vs. Android option on tablets is much like on phones. iOS has a more consistent experience and far more and far better apps. Android has more variation in the hardware (with faster cycles to new hardware) and more customizability.

I have an Android phone, which is fine. Can't say I care too much about customization though. If's customization versus more apps, I'll take apps.

I did some reading on PC Magazine's website, and it definitely seems like you're right about the $400 mark. I was hoping to get under that, but those tablets sound pretty bad. Probably save up longer and get an iPad2 or something comparable.

Just fyi, anything under ~$400ish is gonna be trash. Those are largely budget knockoffs running old OSs, poor specs, and often resistive touch screens.

I've got an iPad 1 and it is pretty goddamn amazing. I don't have much to say other than that. The iOS vs. Android option on tablets is much like on phones. iOS has a more consistent experience and far more and far better apps. Android has more variation in the hardware (with faster cycles to new hardware) and more customizability.

I'd say the one exception to that "Under $400" thing would be the nook color. It takes a tiny bit of work to make it function as a full-fledged tablet, but it's fairly decent quality for the $200 it can often be found for.

Given the OPs wants i'd say eee transformer all the way, cheap, 399 gets you 16 gigs internal storage + a microsd slot that can accommodate an additional 32 gigs + the fastest processor in a tablet right now coupled with the best screen (yes it's better than the Ipad 2's) As for games/apps apple has more true, but android has more quality free titles, and most of their stuff is priced cheaper across the board. The game scene is also starting to pick up w/ the tegra processors and nvidias launching of the tegra zone (a game store for systems w/ tegra processors) they're apparently going after big name devs now and already have some nice stuff up . Also at least with android you don't have to root/jailbreak to do anything useful. I have an ipad 2 and a transformer in the house and the transformer gets more use despite the ipad 2 being pretty much double the price.

But anyway to reiterate in short the transformer has the best hardware out, for the lowest non chinese knock off price running the latest version of android, it's a no brainer imo.

Given the OPs wants i'd say eee transformer all the way, cheap, 399 gets you 16 gigs internal storage + a microsd slot that can accommodate an additional 32 gigs + the fastest processor in a tablet right now coupled with the best screen (yes it's better than the Ipad 2's) As for games/apps apple has more true, but android has more quality free titles, and most of their stuff is priced cheaper across the board. The game scene is also starting to pick up w/ the tegra processors and nvidias launching of the tegra zone (a game store for systems w/ tegra processors) they're apparently going after big name devs now and already have some nice stuff up . Also at least with android you don't have to root/jailbreak to do anything useful. I have an ipad 2 and a transformer in the house and the transformer gets more use despite the ipad 2 being pretty much double the price.

But anyway to reiterate in short the transformer has the best hardware out, for the lowest non chinese knock off price running the latest version of android, it's a no brainer imo.

New owner of the Samsung 10.1 here. I'm really digging it and I would recommend it to anyone in the market for a an Android tablet.

That's the caveat though, you have to know what you're buying with an Android tablet. The market is underwhelming even when not caring about games. There's no great Facebook app and many apps just don't work on a tablet.

That said the OS in my opinion is preferable to Apple's. I preffer that it approaches a good mix of mobile and desktop, with the Widgets letting you have a good amount of info at hand. Also customization is really nice as you have your choices of browsers and more importantly keyboards. Thumb keyboard is fantastic on this thing. Typed out all this on my tablet with little problems.

I don't mean to sound like an asshole, but why would anyone pick up a Galaxy Tab over an Ipad?

I mean, aren't they basically the same price? Can the Tab do stuff that the Ipad isn't able to?

It's thinner, lighter and either matches or surpasses the iPads hardware specs e.g. larger screen in both size and resolution. I've never used either ios or android but from what I've seen from articles and videos, android 3.0 is a better tablet os than ios (widgets etc). Plus there's always the added bonus of being able to view flash on websites and being able to buy apps from more than one shop e.g. Amazon app store.

When we sat down to our video loop test, with WiFi on and display brightness at about 65 percent, we scored just under ten hours (again!). That's second only to the iPad 2, and by merely half an hour. Jack that brightness down a bit, and you could probably squeeze 11 hours out. The upside is that Android 3.1 doesn't seem to have a negative impact on battery life; the downside is that Android 3.1 doesn't seem to be any more power efficient than Android 3.0.

I don't mean to sound like an asshole, but why would anyone pick up a Galaxy Tab over an Ipad?

I mean, aren't they basically the same price? Can the Tab do stuff that the Ipad isn't able to?

It's thinner, lighter and either matches or surpasses the iPads hardware specs e.g. larger screen in both size and resolution. I've never used either ios or android but from what I've seen from articles and videos, android 3.0 is a better tablet os than ios (widgets etc). Plus there's always the added bonus of being able to view flash on websites and being able to buy apps from more than one shop e.g. Amazon app store.

i think you're thinking of another tablet because none of this is true for the galaxy tab

i think it's lighter but it's made of plastic???
and has a shit ass battery life???????

The screen is larger than the Ipad though, but barely. The specs certainly match the Ipad's as well. And the only plastic is the backing, the build quality is comparable to Apple's in general. I haven't placed the battery through its paces but I got it 40 charged out of the box and it lasted me for over fours hours so I the battery is not shitty at first glance.

I don't mean to sound like an asshole, but why would anyone pick up a Galaxy Tab over an Ipad?

I mean, aren't they basically the same price? Can the Tab do stuff that the Ipad isn't able to?

It's thinner, lighter and either matches or surpasses the iPads hardware specs e.g. larger screen in both size and resolution. I've never used either ios or android but from what I've seen from articles and videos, android 3.0 is a better tablet os than ios (widgets etc). Plus there's always the added bonus of being able to view flash on websites and being able to buy apps from more than one shop e.g. Amazon app store.

i think you're thinking of another tablet because none of this is true for the galaxy tab

i think it's lighter but it's made of plastic???
and has a shit ass battery life???????

:/

Everything I said was true besides perhaps Android being a better tablet OS which is of course just my opinion. As Dehumanized and Kyougu have pointed out the battery life is apparently only slightly shorter than that of the iPads. I'm not entirely sure what your point is regarding the plastic- that this somehow invalidates its weight?

I don't mean to sound like an asshole, but why would anyone pick up a Galaxy Tab over an Ipad?

I mean, aren't they basically the same price? Can the Tab do stuff that the Ipad isn't able to?

It's thinner, lighter and either matches or surpasses the iPads hardware specs e.g. larger screen in both size and resolution. I've never used either ios or android but from what I've seen from articles and videos, android 3.0 is a better tablet os than ios (widgets etc). Plus there's always the added bonus of being able to view flash on websites and being able to buy apps from more than one shop e.g. Amazon app store.

i think you're thinking of another tablet because none of this is true for the galaxy tab

i think it's lighter but it's made of plastic???
and has a shit ass battery life???????

Maybe you're thinking of the original GalaxyTab, which is pretty different from the Galaxy 10.1

I don't mean to sound like an asshole, but why would anyone pick up a Galaxy Tab over an Ipad?

I mean, aren't they basically the same price? Can the Tab do stuff that the Ipad isn't able to?

It's thinner, lighter and either matches or surpasses the iPads hardware specs e.g. larger screen in both size and resolution. I've never used either ios or android but from what I've seen from articles and videos, android 3.0 is a better tablet os than ios (widgets etc). Plus there's always the added bonus of being able to view flash on websites and being able to buy apps from more than one shop e.g. Amazon app store.

i think you're thinking of another tablet because none of this is true for the galaxy tab

i think it's lighter but it's made of plastic???
and has a shit ass battery life???????

:/

Everything I said was true besides perhaps Android being a better tablet OS which is of course just my opinion. As Dehumanized and Kyougu have pointed out the battery life is apparently only slightly shorter than that of the iPads. I'm not entirely sure what your point is regarding the plastic- that this somehow invalidates its weight?

Actually, everything you said was true except the OS preference (which, yes, is opinion) and that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 surpasses the iPad's hardware specs. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesn't come close to the iPad 2 in the GPU department, as the iPad 2 uses a PowerVR SGX543MP2+, which basically beats the shit out of the Tegra 2 used in the Tab and the Xoom.

The plastic doesn't really matter, but the difference in size and weight between the Tab 10.1 and the iPad 2 is negligible. They're both extremely thin and extremely light devices, and the choice you're making now when looking for a tablet should be between one of these two.

Personally, I think that there's no comparison between the Galaxy Tab and the iPad 2. As an iPad 1 owner since launch, the difference between the iPad of Summer 2010 and the iPad of Summer 2011 is the apps, period. It's gone from a device that I thought was pretty cool, to a central part of my home life, mainly because of the wealth of software that's been made available. Android can't currently compare at this point, but maybe in a few months to a year it will be a stronger contender.

If you want a tablet now and don't care about the OS, buy an iPad 2. You won't be disappointed. If you hate iOS and would rather die before giving money to Apple, wait about six months and see how WebOS pans out. It's a fantastic operating system that never quite reached its potential on cell phones, but HP has a lot of cash to throw at the platform to make it a serious contender in the tablet space.

edit: also, widgets are neat but they mean nothing. if you can't live without them on iOS, either wait or jailbreak. there are widget apps available now on Cydia, and custom notifications in iOS 5 should offer similar functionality once it's released in the fall.

Actually, everything you said was true except the OS preference (which, yes, is opinion) and that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 surpasses the iPad's hardware specs. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesn't come close to the iPad 2 in the GPU department, as the iPad 2 uses a PowerVR SGX543MP2+, which basically beats the shit out of the Tegra 2 used in the Tab and the Xoom.

The plastic doesn't really matter, but the difference in size and weight between the Tab 10.1 and the iPad 2 is negligible. They're both extremely thin and extremely light devices, and the choice you're making now when looking for a tablet should be between one of these two.

Personally, I think that there's no comparison between the Galaxy Tab and the iPad 2. As an iPad 1 owner since launch, the difference between the iPad of Summer 2010 and the iPad of Summer 2011 is the apps, period. It's gone from a device that I thought was pretty cool, to a central part of my home life, mainly because of the wealth of software that's been made available. Android can't currently compare at this point, but maybe in a few months to a year it will be a stronger contender.

If you want a tablet now and don't care about the OS, buy an iPad 2. You won't be disappointed. If you hate iOS and would rather die before giving money to Apple, wait about six months and see how WebOS pans out. It's a fantastic operating system that never quite reached its potential on cell phones, but HP has a lot of cash to throw at the platform to make it a serious contender in the tablet space.

edit: also, widgets are neat but they mean nothing. if you can't live without them on iOS, either wait or jailbreak. there are widget apps available now on Cydia, and custom notifications in iOS 5 should offer similar functionality once it's released in the fall.

Most of the newer android tablets have superior screens to the ipad 2 in size, clarity, and resolution(both as in higher resolution overall and widescreen as opposed to 4:3), load web pages faster (yes they do lose in the gpu department i'll admit but the browsers are superior) and double the ram which should leader to some interesting apps in the future.

It's also kinda funny how you go on about how it's all about the apps and then reccomend people wait for webos, which will always be the platform with the least apps by far

I think Apple and Android are both very valid choices depending on your needs but saying one is hands down above the other is kinda silly imo.
The galaxy tabs are a hard sell in pretty much any situation though, with how low priced acer and asus are putting out their tablets, paying 100$ extra for the exact same package that weighs a 200 grams less and benchmarks a bit lower due to samsungs os tweaks is a bit eh.

Actually, everything you said was true except the OS preference (which, yes, is opinion) and that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 surpasses the iPad's hardware specs. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 doesn't come close to the iPad 2 in the GPU department, as the iPad 2 uses a PowerVR SGX543MP2+, which basically beats the shit out of the Tegra 2 used in the Tab and the Xoom.

The plastic doesn't really matter, but the difference in size and weight between the Tab 10.1 and the iPad 2 is negligible. They're both extremely thin and extremely light devices, and the choice you're making now when looking for a tablet should be between one of these two.

Personally, I think that there's no comparison between the Galaxy Tab and the iPad 2. As an iPad 1 owner since launch, the difference between the iPad of Summer 2010 and the iPad of Summer 2011 is the apps, period. It's gone from a device that I thought was pretty cool, to a central part of my home life, mainly because of the wealth of software that's been made available. Android can't currently compare at this point, but maybe in a few months to a year it will be a stronger contender.

If you want a tablet now and don't care about the OS, buy an iPad 2. You won't be disappointed. If you hate iOS and would rather die before giving money to Apple, wait about six months and see how WebOS pans out. It's a fantastic operating system that never quite reached its potential on cell phones, but HP has a lot of cash to throw at the platform to make it a serious contender in the tablet space.

edit: also, widgets are neat but they mean nothing. if you can't live without them on iOS, either wait or jailbreak. there are widget apps available now on Cydia, and custom notifications in iOS 5 should offer similar functionality once it's released in the fall.

Most of the newer android tablets have superior screens to the ipad 2 in size, clarity, and resolution(both as in higher resolution overall and widescreen as opposed to 4:3), load web pages faster (yes they do lose in the gpu department i'll admit but the browsers are superior) and double the ram which should leader to some interesting apps in the future.

It's also kinda funny how you go on about how it's all about the apps and then reccomend people wait for webos, which will always be the platform with the least apps by far

I think Apple and Android are both very valid choices depending on your needs but saying one is hands down above the other is kinda silly imo.
The galaxy tabs are a hard sell in pretty much any situation though, with how low priced acer and asus are putting out their tablets, paying 100$ extra for the exact same package that weighs a 200 grams less and benchmarks a bit lower due to samsungs os tweaks is a bit eh.

That's why I suggested to wait six months. The HP Touchpad is due next month, but it's going to take time to flesh out in the App department. If it doesn't pan out, that's a shame, but developers have been extremely slow to pick up the momentum on Honeycomb.

I've also yet to see any hard data on what type of screen the Galaxy Tab 10.1 uses. I realize that the resolution is higher, and the DPI slightly so, but that hardly matters if they're not using an S-IPS display. Everything I've seen simply says "TFT", which could mean anything from a TN panel to OLED.

ArsTechnica's review echoes my sentiments that the Tab 10.1 is the best Android tablet available, but doesn't compete with the iPad 2.

I've also yet to see any hard data on what type of screen the Galaxy Tab 10.1 uses. I realize that the resolution is higher, and the DPI slightly so, but that hardly matters if they're not using an S-IPS display. Everything I've seen simply says "TFT", which could mean anything from a TN panel to OLED.

ArsTechnica's review echoes my sentiments that the Tab 10.1 is the best Android tablet available, but doesn't compete with the iPad 2.

that browser benchmark you linked is for android 3.0, 3.1 has much increased browser speed and 30% increased gpu speed (which still leaves it far behind the ipad 2 in the gpu department admittedly but a fair distance ahead of the ipad 1)

as for the display thing, i've never used a tab in person, i'm basing it off my transformer which uses S-IPS and pretty much every review has mentioned has better colors/clarity than the ipad 2 screen with a bit less brightness so it's not as good for outside viewing, but much better indoors

edit: basically I think the current crop of android tablets are always a better buy than the ipad 1, and for people with lower budgets. if budget is no issue and you don't want the widescreen format ipad 2 wins

As a very proud Android user with an interest in tablets, I can honestly say the iPad is still the better offering at this point. Not that Android tablets won't ever be able to match it, but right now the tablet app market is just far, far more mature on the iOS. Once Ice Cream Sandwich comes out and unifies the Android experience across devices, it'll probably get much better in the Tablet space for them. But until then, it'll be playing catch up with the iPad for a while.

As a very proud Android user with an interest in tablets, I can honestly say the iPad is still the better offering at this point. Not that Android tablets won't ever be able to match it, but right now the tablet app market is just far, far more mature on the iOS. Once Ice Cream Sandwich comes out and unifies the Android experience across devices, it'll probably get much better in the Tablet space for them. But until then, it'll be playing catch up with the iPad for a while.

As I keep telling my Dad, who keeps showing me elcheapo android tablets trying to have me regret my ipad 2 purchase, "Android is fantastic..... but at this stage, only for phones"

As a very proud Android user with an interest in tablets, I can honestly say the iPad is still the better offering at this point. Not that Android tablets won't ever be able to match it, but right now the tablet app market is just far, far more mature on the iOS. Once Ice Cream Sandwich comes out and unifies the Android experience across devices, it'll probably get much better in the Tablet space for them. But until then, it'll be playing catch up with the iPad for a while.

As I keep telling my Dad, who keeps showing me elcheapo android tablets trying to have me regret my ipad 2 purchase, "Android is fantastic..... but at this stage, only for phones"

eh. while the android tablet market is very anemic There are still apps to do everything you need/want to do, especially if you go delving into XDA devs. Yes, you're missing out on thousands of soundboard and crappy game apps that the IOS side has but I can live with that. Ipad users can play the latest doodlejump or whatever it is, i'll be enjoying reading books,browsing the web and watching videos on an actual widescreen with higher fidelity. Which are the things most people buy tablets for anyway in my experience.

i'm not sure wtf a nerdlinger is supposed to be but if you mean people who can use computers, yes i'd agree. But given the nature of the this forum, i'd suppose anyone who posts here for advice falls into that category and thus android is a valid recommendation for them.

Hey so this is something I can't seem to find out - how many of these tablets will let you watch video on it that is streaming from another PC on your home network? Example: You have a video file on your PC, but want to go watch it through your tablet on the couch.

I've just watched a bunch of crap on Blackberry Playbook and it looks like the reverse is possible (eg. it shows up as a hard drive on a network that you could play off), but yeah, not quite what i want. Is what I'm talking about even an option in this current generation of tablets?

You can tell this thread is quality discussion because it has included both ignorant criticisms of iPad gaming and "nerdlingers."

I didn't mean to imply that all Ipad games are awful (i admit reading my post it came across a bit that way though) just the vast majority of them. For every great game there's a couple thousand, or tens of thousand that are just terrible cash grabs. A good chunk of the great ones do get android ports if they sell well also. I've been trying to say this entire thread I think Apple and Android are both viable choices depending on your needs but I tend to get a little android defensive when so many people completely dismiss it.

Gosprey- Pretty much any tablet will, you may or may not need to buy an app to do it, and your PC will have to be setup to transcode. But both IOS and Android have multiple apps that will do it.

We have a couple Tab 10.1's at work. They're nice. Light. Thin. Nice screen. And they don't feel like they'd break if you dropped it on the floor or in a backpack. Most of the basic software you'd want seems to be there. But like every review on the planet says, there isn't as much other stuff available as there is for the iPad. IMO, its not the lack of software that would deter me from a tab, but just the fact that Honeycomb's UI is godawful.

That said, I hate they way Apple runs their business, and if I desperately needed to buy a tablet right now, I'd probably push myself to get the 7" Tab. Its nice. Runs a usable version of Android. And the 7" screen size feels a lot nicer to me.

I played with some at best buy today. I really like the Android UIs and I really don't like the ipad2 UI. I've never liked how apple stuff looks, too shiny and candy-coated. Very much a taste thing, I realize. Plus it feels very familiar coming from an Android phone. One review complained that Settings was under Apps, and I'm thinking "That's where it always is!" Not much of an adjustment there.

My favorite Android tablet was probably the Galaxy Tab 10.1. It's very light, feels good in the hand. My #1 complaint is that the browser goes to the mobile version of a lot of websites instead of the desktop version. Apparently it parses as 'Android Tablet' or something, and most sites just see 'Android' and give you the mobile version.

Apps, I kind of agree with taliosfalcon. Yeah iOS has a lot more, but so many of them are just shitty games or redundant. It's not like a major need is going to go unmet. Flash support is nice as well.

The only read advantage I see for something like Xoom/Tab is the widescreen aspect (and you don't need OSX host machine to develop if that's your fancy), which to me is only useful for watching video content. It sucks that the iPad has to letterbox when viewing widescreen content, but I appreciate the 3:2 (or 4:3 or whatever asepct) when consuming written content and for pics.

I found the Xoom touch interface (swipe, scroll, pinch, etc) to be a lot more sluggish than the iPad(2) interface, but haven't played with a Tab yet.

If you're not an enthusiast/developer (meaning you just want something that works for media consumption, general internet use, maybe has a few built-in whizbangs, and aren't into heavy customization of the UI) then you'll probably be happiest with an iPad, assuming the minimalist design/interface doesn't peeve you. Since iOS is such a large unified platform you're going to get access to better and more apps/games. I think a lot more iOS apps get ported to Android than the other way round.

Captaink: You may be able to change the useragent on the browser so it doesn't default to mobile site. If not I'm sure there are a couple of decent browser apps available that'd let you do that. Edit: I think I used Dolphin HD browser to get the desktop version of some sites on my EVO.

Personally, I think that there's no comparison between the Galaxy Tab and the iPad 2. As an iPad 1 owner since launch, the difference between the iPad of Summer 2010 and the iPad of Summer 2011 is the apps, period. It's gone from a device that I thought was pretty cool, to a central part of my home life, mainly because of the wealth of software that's been made available. Android can't currently compare at this point, but maybe in a few months to a year it will be a stronger contender.

Can you give any specific examples of key apps that have made the difference for you?

I'm thinking about getting an Eee Pad soonish, though still open to suggestions.

I'm new to this whole iOS vs Android debate. I know that the iOS has thousands of apps, but don't you have to pay money for most of them? I took a look at the android market and saw very few (if any) that you have to buy. I know theres a lot fewer apps, but isn't cost a major selling point for Android? Also, I heard that you can't view or edit any MS office docs on the ipad, true? A friend of mine told me that most popular apps on the iOS are also available on android, is that right?

I'm curious how the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 is. Its seems like it hasn't been released yet here in China. How is it compared to the eee pad? How much is it?

I bought the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 today. I really like it so far. That 10" screen is just a sexy piece of technology. Found a comic reader app and a the Dolphin browser so far. Guess I could use a twitter app as well.

iPad does most of the things listed in the OP, but generally speaking I find the web browsing rendering times of the iPad to be pretty crappy, and generally speaking, google chat just sucks on the iPad.

Your only options are the web view which sucks or some 3rd party app which will clash with your PC chat sessions which is a big issue for me.

In fact two of my biggest complaints about the iPad are those two things.

I'm curious how the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 is. Its seems like it hasn't been released yet here in China. How is it compared to the eee pad? How much is it?

Internal hardware/screen/OS wise it's exactly the same. It's a bit lighter and thinner, so more portable/easier to hold than the eee. The build quality and construction materials are better as well, but it's also 100$ more.

I bought the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 today. I really like it so far. That 10" screen is just a sexy piece of technology. Found a comic reader app and a the Dolphin browser so far. Guess I could use a twitter app as well.

Plume is pretty good twitter app for it.

And I love comics on my Tab. Do wish Marvel would put them up for download in an app though.